The idea of a potential customer standing outside your store with phone in hand scrolling through review after review is not very encouraging to think about. They are not reading your beautifully crafted website copy, they are reading what other people think about your business.
Online reviews hold the power between thriving or barely staying afloat. It is a modern form of word-of-mouth marketing, which travels with incredible velocity.
Stop crossing your fingers that people will want to add their feedback and will learn how to take your review game to the next level!
Let’s dive in.
Local Review Landscape Available
The review ecosystem isn’t just Google anymore. It’s social media and local directories too. Each of these ecosystems has its own set and kind of rules, audience, and implications for your business.
- Google Business Profile is a must. It is the review platform that contributes directly to your local search rankings and provides substantial visibility in Google Maps results. For your business, Google reviews are the first that appear when you search.
- Facebook reviews are social. They show up in your social media ecosystem because they win from the network effects of the platform. Since people find businesses most often via Facebook searches or by word-of-mouth, high scores in this area are very powerful social proof.
- Yelp is still a big player, especially in some categories and regions. Yelp ratings drive customers to businesses like restaurants, contractors, salons and professional services!
- Industry-specific platforms should be considered as well. Healthcare business may concentrate on Healthgrades or Vitals. OpenTable or TripAdvisor can be key areas for a restaurant. Zillow reviews are important for real estate professionals.
This requires you to know where your target customers naturally gravitate to research businesses in your industry. The dentist should have a different strategy than the contractor, who in turn should not plan in the same manner as the retail store for reviews.
The key insight here? You’ve gotta pick your battles – you can’t be everywhere. Find out the top two or three platforms that your businesses need to be on, and excel in those areas.
Setting Up Your Review Foundation
You first need to be in the places where people review before you can get reviews. That seems like a given, but I cannot tell you how many businesses omit this fundamental building block.
- Begin with claiming and optimizing your Google Business Profile. Fill out all details of your profile! Include great images showcasing your business, products or team. You must develop a business description that is persuasive and incorporate essential keywords relevant to your specific area.
- All of your business information should be absolutely the same across every platform. If search engines see inconsistencies, search frustration translates to questionable credibility with both the algorithm and human user bases.
- Set up your profiles on the relevant review platforms for your industry. Consider these platforms as mini-websites for your business.
- Install warning systems that let you know when new negative reviews come in. Get alerts whenever your business comes up online with Google Alerts. Most of the review management tools will notify you in real time over multiple platforms. You cannot answer to reviews which you do not even know are there.
- A simple spreadsheet or CRM can help keep track of who you asked when, so you are not annoying repeat customers — while ensuring you are touching base with happy clients.
The foundation stage is far from sexy, but it is absolutely foundational. All of your future review generation effort is establishing the structure that will support it.
Identifying Your Best Review Candidates
Your ideal review customer may surprise you. There are people that have the very best interactions and experiences with your business but never leave a review.
Find who your most excited customers are. These are people that have told you that you are doing something awesome, referred others to your business, ones who come in the door and are excited to give you their money. More than likely, they are already some of your biggest advocates – you just need to redirect that excitement toward writing online reviews.
Timing matters enormously. You should ask for reviews when people are at their happiest. With service businesses, this might mean the moment they wrap up a project that went well. A retail business may define it when customers say yes to a purchase. For restaurants, it might be positive comments on the meal or action from those at the restaurant.
Observe customer habits, ask all repeat customers to review your business. They have received positive experiences and know your value proposition well enough that they are able to share it with others.
Find your online customers and engage with them. If an individual is following you on social media, sharing your posts and engaging with your digital marketing content, they are more inclined to leaving online reviews for you.
The secret to this is making either a mental or written list of who your ideal reviewers are, and then automatically going through the process to find and request reviews from these customers.
Timing Your Review Requests Perfectly
Sometimes, that fine line between getting a review and getting ignored is merely timing. You are getting your customers to spare some of their time for you. The ask has to come at the time when they are most interested to say yes.
Strike while emotions are hot. Customers automatically feel-good about your business after having a positive interaction. Wait too long, and they lose interest.
- For service-based businesses, this point usually occurs after the project is completed. When they receive a final result, they are happy with the result and appreciate the job you have done. That is your window for a review.
- For retail businesses, you may see better results if you solicit reviews during the checkout process or right after purchase. For the customers who want to wait until they have used the product, a follow-up email in another few days is best.
- Restaurants and hospitality have special timing as well. Natural review requests are the end of a delicious meal, when customers demonstrate their happiness.
When a purchase does go through, do NOT request a review. If a customer is rushed or looks annoyed, wait until a better time. Your ask should be natural and supportive, not forced or inconvenient.
Takeaway
The most important type of follow-up for is systematic follow-ups.
Not every happy customer is going to remember to leave a review until they are gently nudged. An email or text message a few days after service is a good reminder in case customers meant to leave a review but simply got busy.
The key is to have it feel like a seamless transition from the great experience you just created.
